Cutting Off the Means of Innovating In The Religion

[Caplets]

السلام عليكم



“Cutting Off the Means of Innovating (Bid'ah) In the Religion”.



As the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,said, “And avoid the newly invented matters”. And innovating can be by adding, removing, replacing or distorting something. And the
innovated matter – the Bid’ah – can be Fisq or kufr, according to its severity. [SUP]172[/SUP]

Al-Bukhārī narrated from Ibn Mas’ūd, the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,said, “I am ahead of you at the Hawdh to make it ready. Men will be raised to me from amongst you, until when I rush to deliver to them, they are seized before (they reach) me. So I will say, ‘O my Lord, my Companions!’ So He will say, ‘You do not know what they innovated after you.’” [SUP]173[/SUP]

And Al-Bukhārī narrated it as Marfū’ from Abī Sa’īd, with the phrasing, “‘Verily, you do not know what the replaced after you.’ So I will say, ‘Away with, away with those who replaced after me.’” [SUP]174[/SUP]

And he narrated it from Ibn ‘Abbās, as Marfū’, with the phrasing, “And that verily, men from my nation will be brought and taken to the direction of the left, so I will say, ‘O my Lord, my Companions’[SUP] 175[/SUP] So it will be said, ‘Verily, you do not know what they innovated after you.’ So I will say just as the Righteous Slave[SUP]176[/SUP]said,

وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنتَ أَنتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ
​

And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when
You took me up, You were the Watcher over them [SUP]177[/SUP]

Then it will be said, ‘Verily, those ones did not cease turning back upon their
heels since you left them.’” [SUP]178[/SUP]

And his, صلى الله عليه وسلم , statement, “My Companions (Usayhābī )”, it was like this according to most of the narrators, with the phrasing of minimization (Tasghīr). It is an indication of the small number of those who that happened to, and they are some of the crude Bedouins. Al-Bukhārī , may Allāh be merciful to him, narrated this Hadīth [SUP]179[/SUP] in the beginning of the “Book of Tribulations” within his “Sahīh”, as an indication from him – as is his habit in his naming of chapters – that the innovating and replacing in the Religion is from the greatest causes of tribulations and apostasy, rather, it is its basis. And it is like that, past and present. And its corroboration is His, Ta’āla’s, statement,

فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَن تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
​

And let those who oppose his (the Messenger's) commandment beware, lest some Fitnah (Tribulations) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them [SUP]180[/SUP]

So in this Verse, the tribulations are a Qadarī punishment for contradicting the order of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم , by deviating away from the rulings of the Sharī’ah and innovating in the Religion. As He, Ta’āla, said,

فَنَسُواْ حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُواْ بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاء

​

…then they abandoned a part of that which they were reminded with.
So We planted amongst them enmity and hatred… [SUP]181[/SUP]

And due to this, the Sharī’ah came with criteria to cut off the means to innovating and replacing in the Religion, which Al-Bukhārī mentioned in “The Book of Holding Steadfast to the Book and the Sunnah” within his “Sahīh”. And from them are: The forbiddance of Bid’ah and warning against it, the forbiddance of putting ignorant ones in charge, and this is countered by the encouraging of putting scholars in charge, the dispraise of the invalid intellect and the invalid Qiyās, the forbiddance of going to extremes and delving too deep into the Religion, the forbiddance of disputing and differing, and the forbiddance of imitating the People of the Book and the mushrikīn. And the stating of the evidences for these criteria is as follows:

a) The forbiddance of Bid’ah and warning against it:

• Bid’ah: That which is innovated, from that which has no basis in the Sharī’ah which indicates it. As for that which has a basis in the Shar’ which indicates it, then it is not a Bid’ah in the Shar’, even if it is a Bid’ah in the language. And this is the definition of Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbalī. And he also said, “As for what has taken place in the words of the Salaf from the considering of some of the Bid’ahs to be good, then that is only from the linguistic Bid’ahs, not the Shar’ī-based ones.” [SUP]182[/SUP]


And “Every Bid’ah is a misguidance, even if the people see it as good.” Narrated by Al-Lālakā’ī, from Ibn ‘Umar. [SUP]183[/SUP] And Shaykh Hāfith Hakamī said, “Then know that all of the Bid’ahs are rejected, there is nothing from them that is accepted. And all of them are disgraceful, there is no good in them. And all of them are misguidance, there is no guidance in them. And all of them are burdens, there is no reward in them. And all of them are falsehood, there is no Truth in them.” [SUP]184[/SUP] And the corroboration of this is the statement of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ” ,And avoid the newly invented matters, because every Bid’ah is a misguidance.” [SUP]185[/SUP]

And with this, you now that the categorization by ‘Izzaddīn Ibn ‘Adis-Salām, may Allāh be merciful to him, of Bid’ah into the five rulings, “Wājib (Obligatory), Mandūb (Recommended), Mubāh (Permitted), Makrūh (Disliked), Harām (Forbidden)”, it is a categorization that has no basis. Because how could the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم , say , “Every Bid’ah is a misguidance.” and Al-‘Izz says that there is a Bid’ah that is obligatory? [SUP]186[/SUP] And due to that, Ash-Shātibī said, “Verily, this categorization is an invented matter, which no Shar’ī evidence indicates.” [SUP]187[/SUP]

• And anyone who innovates an innovation, from Bid’ah or changing the Religion, then upon him is his burden and the burdens of those who act upon it. And in this there is a severe threat of punishment to cut off the means to this corruption. As Muslim narrated from Abū Hurayrah, may Allāh be pleased with him, as Marfū’, “Whoever calls to a misguidance, then there is upon him from the sins like the sins of those who followed him, (and) nothing from their sins is decreased.” And Muslim narrated from Jarīr Ibn ‘Abdillāh, may Allāh be pleased with him, as Marfū’, “And whoever begins an evil tradition in Islām …” – the Hadīth. [SUP]188[/SUP]

• And whoever is satisfied with an innovation is cursed, in order to cut off the means to innovation. As Muslim narrated from ‘Alī, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he said, “The Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم , informed me with four words, ‘Allāh cursed whoever slaughters for other than Allāh, Allāh cursed whoever curses his parents, Allāh cursed whoever is satisfied with an innovation, and Allāh cursed whoever changes the marks of the land (i.e. the markings of the borders of property).’” [SUP]189[/SUP]

----------------------------


173 Hadīth #7049
174 Hadīth #7051
175 Trans. Note: The word used for “My Companions” in the previous narration is “As’hābī”, but in this one, it is “Usayhābī”. The reason for this is explained by the author shortly.
176 Trans. Note: Referring to the Messenger ‘Īsā Ibn Maryam, عليه السلام .
177 Trans. Note: Al-Mā’idah, 117
178 Hadīth #4625
179 Hadīth #7049, 7051
180 Sūrat An-Nūr, 63
181 Sūrat Al-Mā’idah, 14
182 “Jāmi’ Al-‘Ulūmi Wal-Hikam”, Hadīth #28/pg. 233
183 “Sharh I’tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah”, Vol. 1/92 Trans. Note: This Athar was authenticated by Al-Albānī in “Ahkām Al-Janā’iz”, 258 and in “Islāh Al-Masājid”, 13.
184 “Ma’ārij Al-Qubūl”, Vol. 2/616. pub. “As-Salafiyyah”
185 Narrated by At-Tirmithī, and he said, “A Hasan Sahīh Hadīth, from Al-‘Irbādh Ibn Sāriyah.” Trans. Note: Also declared authentic by Ibn Taymiyyah in “Majmū’ Al-Fatwāwā”, Vol. 20/309, by Ash-Shawkānī in “Al-Fat’h Ar-Rabbānī”, Vol. 5/2229, and by Al-Albānī in “Islāh Al-Masājid”, 83.
186 “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/254, and “Al-I’tisām”, by Ash-Shātibī, Vol. 1/188, and what follows it.
187 “Al-I’tisām”, Vol. 1/191
188 Look to the chapter, “The Sin of the One Who Calls to a Misguidance and Begins an Evil Tradition” In “Al-I’tisām” by Al-Bukhārī. “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol.13/302
189 Look to the chapter, “The Sin of the One Who Is Satisfied with an Innovation” in “Al-I’tisām” by Al-Bukhārī. “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/281


Adapted from: Shaykh ‘Abdul-Qādir Ibn ‘Abdil-‘Azīz, The Obligation of Holding Steadfast To The Book and The Sunnah, pp.66-70.

السلام عليكم

 

[fschmidt]

In business they say "innovate or die". Islam will remain weak as long as Muslims believe this nonsense against innovation. But I have read the Quran and it is a very good book, so I have confidence that some Muslim will wake up and innovate (in a good way) and make Islam strong again.

 

[eesa the kiwi]

In business they say "innovate or die". Islam will remain weak as long as Muslims believe this nonsense against innovation. But I have read the Quran and it is a very good book, so I have confidence that some Muslim will wake up and innovate (in a good way) and make Islam strong again.

You are confusing worldly innovation with innovation in acts of worship
If Allah sends to you a prophet sallaho alayhi wa sallam you are not going to find a path to paradise other than his

Worldly innovation and advancement in sciences technology etc Islam has no problem with this. In fact when Europe was in the dark ages burning people at the stake for suggesting the earth rotates around the sun. Islam and the muslims were at the forefront of scientific advancement

 

[Caplets]

صلى الله عليه وسلم


The Warning against putting ignorant ones in charge

And the warning against taking their sayings and their opinions, and the clarification that this is from the greatest causes of misguidance and innovation in the Religion, and the corruption of the Dunyā of the people and their Hereafter, and this is not hidden. And concerning this, there is that which Al-Bukhārī narrated from ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Ās, may Allāh be pleased with them both, who said, “I heard the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,saying, ‘Verily, Allāh will not take the knowledge away from you after He has given it to you by confiscating it, rather He will take it away from you by seizing the scholars along with their knowledge. Then ignorant people will remain. They will be asked for Fatwas, so they will give Fatwas with their opinions, so they will go astray and they will lead (others) astray.’”

And in a narration that is agreed upon, [SUP]190[/SUP] from him, as Marfū’, “Verily Allāh will not seize the knowledge through a confiscation which He confiscates it from the people, rather He will seize the knowledge by seizing the scholars. Until there is no scholar left, the people take ignorant ones as leaders. So they are asked, so they give Fatwas without knowledge, so they go astray and lead (others to go) astray.” [SUP]191[/SUP]


The encouraging of taking scholars as leaders

Due to the past Hadīth. And due to his, صلى الله عليه وسلم, statement, “If the trustworthiness is lost, then wait for the Hour.” It was said, “And how is its losing?” he said, “If the order is given to other than its people.” Narrated by Al-Bukhārī from Abū Hurayrah.


The dispraise of the invalid intellect and the invalid Qiyās

And the first one who used the invalid Qiyās was Iblīs, may Allāh curse him, as is in His, Ta’āla’s statement,
قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ

He said, “I am better than he, You created me from fire, and You
created him from clay.” [SUP]192[/SUP]

So he, may Allāh curse him, challenged the Lordly order to prostrate to Ādam, with the invalid Qiyās. So everyone who does it – meaning the invalid Qiyās – then he is following his, may Allāh curse him’s, tradition.

And the invalid Qiyās is that which there is a Text that contradicts it, and likewise is the invalid opinion. [SUP]193[/SUP] And this is an invalid fundamental which many of the Shar’ī Texts were rejected due to, in the beliefs and the rulings. And Shaykh Al-Albānī has mentioned examples of this in his book “Al-Hadīth Hujjatun Bi-Nafsihi Fil-‘Aqā’idi Wal-Ahkām”.

And Al-Bayhaqī narrated from Ibn Mas’ūd, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he said, “There is no year, except that the one after it is worse than it. I do not say that a year is better than a year, or an Amīr is better than an Amīr, but the departing of the knowledge. Then a people will emerge and make Qiyās in the matters according to their opinions, then Islām will be destroyed.” [SUP]194[/SUP]

And the Hadīth concerning the taking away of the knowledge is a witness for this saying. And the invalid Qiyās is one of the means of the People of Bid’ah in proving things. And from this is that which those who negate the Characteristics of the Lord, Jalla Wa ‘Alā, go to, through making Qiyās with Him, Subhānahu, upon His creation. [SUP]195[/SUP]

And included in the invalid opinions are the Marjūh opinions in the Mathāhib, which contradict the Text, or the opinion of Maslahah which contradicts the Text.

Al-Bukhārī narrated from Sahl Ibn Hanīf, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he said, “O you people! Accuse your opinions instead of your Religion. Because I have seen myself on the Day of Abū Jandal, and if I was able to reject the matter of the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم , then I would have rejected it.” – the Hadīth. And the Day of Abū Jandal, in other words, the Day of Hudaybiyah. And Al-Lālakā’ī narrated with his change of narration, from ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb, may Allāh be pleased with him, that he said, “Beware of the People of Opinion, because they are the enemies of the Sunan. The Hadīth exhausted them in order for them to memorize them, so they said according to opinions, so they went astray and led (others) astray.” [SUP]196[/SUP]

--------------------------------------
190 Trans. Note: Meaning, narrated by Al-Bukhārī and Muslim.
191 Look to “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 1/195, Vol. 13/287
192 Sūrat Sād, 76
193 “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/282
194 “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/283. Trans. Note: A very similar phrasing was mentioned by Imām Ash-Shawkānī in “Al-Fat’h Ar-Rabbānī”, Vol. 5/2219, and he mentioned that its chain and its narrators are trustworthy.
195 “Al-I’tisām” by Ash-Shātibī, Vol. 2/220, 241. pub. “Dār Al-Ma’rifah” 1402 H.
196 “Sharh I’tiqād Ahl As-Sunnah”, Vol. 1/123, pub. “Dār Tayyibah”. And look to “I’lām
Al-Muwaqqi’īn”, by Ibn Al-Qayyim, Vol. 1/77. And “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/289. Trans.
Note: Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned this Athar three times with similar phrasings, once from Sadaqah Ibn Abī ‘Abdillāh, once from ‘Amr Ibn Al-Hārith, and once from Muhammad Ibn Ibrāhīm At-Taymī, all from ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb. Ibn Al-Qayyim
mentioned that the chain of this Athar is at the height of authenticity. Ibn Hajar mentioned that it was also narrated by Al-Bayhaqī from ‘Amr Ibn Harīth instead of Al- Hārith.

 

[Caplets]

The forbiddance of going to extremes and delving too deep into the
Religion.

From Ibn Mas’ūd, may Allāh be pleased with him, from the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,that he said, “The overstringent ones (Al-Mutanatti’ūn) are destroyed.” (Ibn Mas’ūd said,) “He said it three times.” [SUP]197[/SUP] Narrated by Muslim. Al-Khattābī said, “The overstringent one (Al-Mutanatti’) is the one who goes deep into something and idly discusses that which the intellects do not reach.” [SUP]198[/SUP]

And Ahmad narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allāh be pleased with them both, as Marfū’, “Avoid extremism in the Religion. Because all that destroyed those who were before you was extremism in the Religion.” And Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibbān authenticated it. [SUP]199[/SUP] Ibn Taymiyyah said, “This is general regarding all types of extremism, in the beliefs and the actions.” [SUP]200[/SUP]

And extremism is the reason for the kufr of the Christians. Allāh, Ta’āla said,

یَـٰۤأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَا تَغۡلُوا۟ فِی دِینِكُمۡ وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ إِلَّا ٱلۡحَقَّۚ
​

O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your religion,
nor say of Allāh except the truth. [SUP]201[/SUP]


So they went to extremes with ‘Īsā, عليه السلام ,until they made him a god.

And Shaykh Al-Islām Muhamad Ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhāb mentioned in his book “At-l Tawhīd”, “Chapter: That Which Has Come Concerning that the cause of the disbelief of the Children of Ādam and their abandoning of their Religion is going to extremes regarding the righteous.” And he mentioned in it the Hadīth of Ibn ‘Abbās regarding the Tafsīr of His, Ta’āla’s, statement,

And they said, ‘Do not leave your gods, and do not leave Wadd, nor
Suwā’… [SUP]202[/SUP] -- The Verse.

Narrated by Al-Bukhārī. [SUP]203[/SUP]

So going to extremes and delving deep, specifically concerning the extreme efforts, and refusing to indulge in the permissible things, can lead the one doing it to leaving the responsibility [SUP]204[/SUP] as a whole, through false interpretations. So going to extremes is the most likely place of giving up (all worship). [SUP]205[/SUP] And this is the condition of many of the people of tasawwuf.

And extremism is the basis of the Math’hab of the shī’ah, [SUP]206[/SUP] and it is the basis for the blind following of the Math’habs. And from the extremism is the glorifying of the Shaykhs, [SUP]207[/SUP] and glorifying them can lead to worshiping them besides Allāh, and from it is worshiping the people in the graves, and hanging up their pictures and the likes of that. And from the glorifying of them and going to extremes in their regards is putting their sayings and their actions ahead of Shar’ī evidences, and this is the origin of the blind following of the Math’habs. [SUP]208[/SUP]


The forbiddance of arguing, disputing and differing

The Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,said, “Read the Qur’ān as long as your hearts are united upon it, then if you dispute, then stand up away from it.” Narrated by Al-Bukhārī from Jundub Ibn ‘Abdillāh, Chapter “The Disapproval of Differing”, in “Al-I’tisām” by Al-Bukhārī. [SUP]209[/SUP]

And from ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Amr, that a group of the Sahābah mentioned a Verse from the Qur’ān, then they disputed about it until their voices became raised. Then the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم , came out angrily, (and) his face had become red, throwing dirt at them and he was saying, “Slowly, O People! With this the nations that were before you were destroyed. By their differing with their Prophets, and their slamming the Books, parts of them against the other. Verily the Qur’ān was not revealed (with) each part of it belying the other, rather each part of it corroborates with the other. So whatever you know from it, then act upon it, and whatever you are ignorant of from it, then return it to the One who knows it.” Narrated by Ahmad and Al-Baghawī, and Al-Albānī authenticated it in “Sharh Al-‘Aqīdah At-Tahāwiyyah”. [SUP]210[/SUP]

And most of the time, disputes arise due to the ignorance of those disputing, or some of them, and their transgression, each upon the other, as He Ta’āla said,

Those who were given the Scripture did not differ except, out of transgression, each of them against the other, after knowledge had come to them. [SUP]211[/SUP]

And from the (kinds of) transgression, (there) is desire, jealousy, pride, and what follows that from stubbornness. And what is obligatory is to refer that which is being disputed back to the Book and the Sunnah.

---------------

197 Trans. Note: Also narrated by Abū Dāwūd and Ahmad.
198 Trans. Note: This quote from Al-Khattābī was mentioned with a similar phrasing by Al-‘Athīmabādī in “‘Awn Al-Ma’būd Sharh Sunan Abī Dāwūd”
199 Trans. Note: This Hadīth was also authenticated by Ibn Taymiyyah in “Iqtidhā’ As-Sirāt Al-Mustaqīm”, Vol. 1/327, by An-Nawawī in “Al-Majmū’ Sharh Al Muhath’thib”, Vol. 8/171, Ibn Al-Mulqin in “Al-Badr Al-Munīr”, Vol. 6/282 and “Tuhfat Al-Muhtāj”, Vol. 2/180, by Ibn ‘Abdil-Barr, in “At-Tamhīd”, Vol. 24/428, by Ahmad Shākir in his verification of “Musnad Ahmad”, Vol. 3/257, and by Al-Albānī in his verification of “Kitāb As-Sunnah”, 98, and other places, as well as by others.
200 “Fat’h Al-Majīd” pg. 228, pub. “Ansār As-Sunnah”
201 Sūrat An-Nisā’, 171
202 Trans. Note: Sūrat Nūh, 23
203 “Fat’h Al-Majīd”, pg. 218, pub. “Ansār As Sunnah”. And “Ighāthat Al-Lahfān”, by Ibn Al-Qayyim, Vol. 1/208, pub “Al-Kutub Al-‘Ilmiyyah” 1407 H. Trans. Note: Muhammad Ibn ‘Abdil-Wahhāb mentioned the second half of this Hadīth. The following is the full text of this Hadīth: From Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allāh be pleased with them both, “The idols that were with the People of Nūh ended up with the Arabs later on. As for the Wadd, it belonged to (the tribe of) Kalb at Dawmat Al-Jandal. As for Suwā’, it belonged to Huthayl. As for Yaghūth, then it belonged to (the tribe of) Murād and then to Banī Ghutayf at Al-Jawf near Saba’. As for Ya’ūq, then it belonged to Hamdān. As for Nasr, then it belonged to Himyar, the branch of Thī Al Kalā’. The names (of the idols formerly mentioned, belonged to) some pious men from the People of Nūh. Then when they died Shaytān inspired their people to erect idols at the places where they used to sit, and to call those idols by their names, so they did so. Then they (i.e. the idols) were not worshipped until those ones (who initiated them) died and the knowledge was abrogated, (then) they were worshipped.”
204 Trans. Note: The word is “Taklīf”, which means being held responsible for actions in the Sharī’ah.
205 “Al-I’tisām” by Ash-Shātibī, Vol. 1/214, and what follows it, and pg. 304
206 “Al-I’tisām” by Ash-Shātibī, Vol. 1/259
207 “Al-I’tisām” by Ash-Shātibī, Vol. 1/258
208 Look to “Chapter: That which l is hated from the delving deep and disputing concerning the knowledge, and the extremism in the Religion and the innovations” in
“Al-I’tisām” by Al-Bukhārī. “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/275
209 “Fat’h Al-Bārī” Vol. 13/ 3235
210 Trans. Note: Pg. 200, and 518. Also declared “Sahīh“ by Ibn Kathīr in “Tafsīr Al-Qur’ān Al-‘Athīm”, Vol. 2/9, by Ash-Shawkānī in “Fat’h Al-Qadīr”, Vol. 1/476, and Ahmad Shākir in his verification of “Musnad Ahmad”, Vol. 10/174 and Vol. 15/146. Ibn Jarīr declared it “Thābit (confirmed)” in his Tafsīr, Vol. 1/16. 211 Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān, 19.

 

[Caplets]

السلام عليكم

The Forbiddance of Imitating and Taking From The People of The Book and The Mushrikīn.​

And there have been many Texts narrated concerning the forbiddance of this and the warning against it. From them is His, Ta’āla’s , saying,

إِن تُطِيعُواْ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ فَتَنقَلِبُواْ خَاسِرِينَ

If you obey those who disbelieve, they will send you back on your heels, and you will turn back (from Faith) as losers. [SUP]212[/SUP]

And His, Ta’āla’s, saying,

وَلَن تَرْضَى عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلاَ النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ
And never will the Jews, nor the Christians, be pleased with you, till you follow their religion. [SUP]213[/SUP]

And His, Ta’āla’s, saying,

تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةً مِّن دُونِكُمْ يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالاً وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمْ

Take not as a Bitānah (advisors, consultants, protectors, helpers, friends, etc.) other than you (Muslims), since they will not fail to do their best to corrupt you. They desire to harm you severely. [SUP]214[/SUP]

And His, Ta’āla’s, saying,

وَلاَ تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىَ خَآئِنَةٍ مِّنْهُمْ إِلاَّ قَلِيلاً مِّنْهُمُ

And you will not cease to discover deceit in them, except a few of them. [SUP]215[/SUP]

And the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,said, “You will follow the traditions of those who were before you, hand span by hand span, and arm span by arm span. To the point that if they entered the den of a lizard, you would follow them.” We said, “O Messenger of Allāh, the Jews and the Christians?” He said, “Then who?” Agreed upon, from Abū Sa’īd. And this is a warning against imitating them, as is in his, صلى الله عليه وسلم ‘s, saying, “Whoever imitaes a people, then he is from them.” Narrated by Ahmad and Abū Dāwūd from Ibn ‘Umar, and Al-Albānī authenticated it. [SUP]216[/SUP]

And Al-Bukhārī narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās, may Allāh be pleased with them both, that he said, “How can you ask the People of the Book about something and your Book which was revealed upon the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,is more recent. You read it while it is pure and it hasn’t aged. And it has informed you that the People of the Book replaced the Book of Allāh and the changed it. And they wrote the Book with their hands and they said that it is from Allāh, in order to purchase with it a small gain. Does not that which came to you from the knowledge stop you from asking them? No, by Allāh, we have not seen any man from them asking you about that which was revealed upon you.” [SUP]217[/SUP]

And in a narration of his, “Are you not prevented…” Review “Al-I’tisām” by Al-Bukhārī, chapter “The saying of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ’ ,You will follow the traditions of those who were before you’”, and the chapter, “The saying of the Prophet, صلى الله عليه وسلم ’s ,Do not ask the people of the Book about anything’” [SUP]218[/SUP]

I say: And despite this, this Ummah has fallen into everything that the Messenger of Allāh, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,warned against.

وَكَانَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ قَدَرًا مَّقْدُورًا
And the Command of Allāh is a decree determined. [SUP]219[/SUP]

And for example: The ‘Aqīdah of Hulūl, [SUP]220[/SUP] and going to extremes with regards to the righteous ones, and the worshipping of the buried ones, and building Masjids on graves, and division and differing, and hiding the Truth and covering it with falsehood, and taking the rabbis and the monks as lords, and the people taking each other as lords – as it is in democracy – and separating politics from the Religion, and following them in the systems of kufr – like the fabricated laws, socialism, and communism, and all of this is major kufr – and the tribalism of jāhiliyyah – like arab nationalism and the likes of it – and if the noble person steals, he is left alone, and if the weak one steals, he is punished. And the implementing of their methodologies in educating and teaching upon the Muslims. And following them in the arts, entertainment, theatres and cinemas, and other than those, from the means of corruption. and imitating them in their acting upon the Gregorian calendar, and imitating them in the outward fashions – wearing their clothing, shaving the beard, effeminacy… – and using singing and chanting as a means of worship, as the sūfīs do. [SUP]221[/SUP]

And consuming interest, which has covered the Earth, and other than that. And from that which calls for regret in this era, is the Muslims learning their Religion at the hands of the Jews and the Christians in the universities of the west. Like in Egypt for example, the one who corrupted the Azhar and implemented the law of its evolvement, and he is Doctor Muhammad Al-Bahī, he attained his academic certificate from Germany. And many of the Shaykhs of the Azhar who succeeded the Shaykh Mahmūd Shaltūt attained their academic degrees from the universities of the Christians, like the Syrians in France, and the likes of that. And this which befell the Muslims from the following of the People of the Book and the mushrikīn in misguidance is from the signs of the Prophethood, due to it taking place as he, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,informed in his saying, “…hand span by hand span, and arm span by arm span.”, like in the past Hadīth of Abū Sa’īd.

[...]

I say: And it is not hidden that excluded from what has passed is the permissibility of learning that which mankind is partners in from the matters of the Dunyā, like the matters of trades [SUP]222[/SUP] and construction. It is allowed for the Muslim to learn them from the kāfir, if the Muslim is safe from being placed into Fitnah by the kāfir concerning his Religion. And what is obligatory is that a group of the Muslims masters these issues – like the rest of the communal obligations – so that the Muslims can be free of needing the kuffār in this.

This, and the past seven fundamentals have clarified the Path of Truth and the paths of misguidance. So that the Muslim will know the first and adhere to it and ally himself with its followers, and so he will beware of the paths of misguidance and so he will show enmity towards those who take them. And regarding this, Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allāh be
merciful to him, said, “Allāh, Ta’āla, said,

وَكَذَلِكَ نفَصِّلُ الآيَاتِ وَلِتَسْتَبِينَ سَبِيلُ الْمُجْرِمِينَ

And thus do We explain the Ayāt in detail, and so that the way of the
Mujrimīn (criminals, polytheists, sinners), may become manifest. [SUP]223[/SUP]

And He said,

وَمَن يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى

And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the Guidance has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the Path of the Believers, We shall keep him in the path he has chosen… [SUP]224[/SUP] The Verse.

And Allāh, Ta’āla, has clarified in His Book, the Path of the Believers in detail and the path of the criminals in detail, and the result of those ones in detail and the result of those ones in detail. And (He clarified) the actions of those ones and the actions of those ones, and the allies of those ones and the allies of those ones. And (He clarified) His forsaking of those ones and His granting of success to those ones. And (He clarified) the reasons for which He granted success to those ones and the reasons
for which He forsaked those ones. And He, Subhānahu, clarified the two
matters in His Book and He revealed them, He elucidated them and He
made them clear with the clearest of clarifications.

So those who have knowledge about Allāh, His Book and His Religion, know the Path of the Believers with detailed knowledge and the path of the criminals with detailed knowledge, so the two paths became clear to them. So those ones are the most knowledgeable of the creation and the most beneficial of them to the people and the most sincere of them to them. And they are the ones who present the evidence (and they are) the guiders. And with that, the Companions came out ahead of all of those
who came after them, until the Day of Resurrection, because they were raised upon the path of misguidance, kufr, shirk, and the paths which lead to destruction, and they knew them in detail. Then the Messenger came to them, so he removed them from those darknesses to the Path of Guidance and the Straight Path of Allāh. So they came out of the extreme darkness to the Complete Light, and from the shirk to the Tawhīd, and from the ignorance to the Knowledge, and from the error to the Right Guidance. So they knew the value of that which they attained, so they increased in desire and love for that which they changed to and (they increased in) hate for that which they changed from. And they were the strongest in loving Tawhīd, Īmān and Islām, and the strongest in hating that which opposes it, knowing the path in detail.

As for those [SUP]225[/SUP] who came after the Sahābah, then from them are those who were raised upon Islām, not knowing the details of what opposes it,
so some of the details of the Path of the Believers became mixed up in his regards with the path of the criminals. Because becoming mixed up only takes place if the knowledge of the two paths or one of them becomes weak. Just [as] ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb said, “Verily, the Loops of Islām will only come undone loop by loop, if those who did not know jāhiliyyah are raised in Islām.” [SUP]226[/SUP] This is from the completeness of the knowledge of ‘Umar, may Allāh be pleased with him, because if he does not know jāhiliyyah and its ruling, and it is everything that contradicts that which the Messenger, صلى الله عليه وسلم ,came with, so it is from jāhiliyyah, because it is attributed to jahl (ignorance), and everything that contradicts the Messenger, then it is from the ignorance.

So whoever does not know the path of the criminals and it is not become clear to him, then he is on the verge of assuming about some of their path that it is from the Path of the Believers. Just like what took place in this Ummah from many issues in the realm of beliefs, knowledge and actions, which were from the path of the criminals and the kuffār; those who did not know that they (i.e. these matters) were from the path of the criminals included them in the Path of the Believers, and they called to them and declared Takfīr on those who contradicted them and made Halāl from him (i.e. the contradictor) that which Allāh and His Messenger made Harām. Just like what took place for most of the people of Bid’ah from the Jahmiyyah, the Qadariyyah, the Khawārij, the Rāfidhah and the likes of them…” until he said, “…and the point is that Allāh, Subhānahu, loves for the path of His enemies to be known so that it will be avoided and hated, just as He loves for the Path of His Allies (Awliyā’) to be known so that it will be loved and taken. And in this knowledge, there is from the benefits and the secrets, that which no one knows except Allāh.” [SUP]227[/SUP]


--------------------

212 Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān, 149
213 Sūrat Al-Baqarah, 120
214 Sūrat Āl ‘Imrān, 118
215 Sūrat Al-Mā’idah, 13
216 Trans. Note: Al-Albānī authenticated it in “Sahīh Abī Dāwūd” #4031, as well as many other places in his books. It was also authenticated by Ibn Hibbān as mentioned in “Bulūgh Al-Marām”, #437, by Ath-Thahabī in “Siyar A’lām An-Nubalā’”, Vol. 15/509, by Al-‘Irāqī in “Takhrīj Al-Ihyā”, Vol. 1/359, and by Ahmad Shākir in his verification of “Musnad Ahmad”, Vol. 7/122, as well as other places within it.
217 Hadīth #7363
218 “Fat’h Al-Bārī”, Vol. 13/300 and 333
219 Trans. Note: Sūrat Al-Ahzāb, 38
220 Trans. Note: This is the belief incarnation. Meaning, that Allāh, Ta’ālā, took the form of a human, or came into the body of a human, as is believed by the disbelieving Drūze and other groups that try to pass themselves off as Muslims when it benefits them.
221 “Talbīs Iblīs”, by Ibn Al-Jawzī, pg. 319 and what follows it.
222 Trans. Note: Trades, meaning specific skills, such as engineering, pluming, welding, machining, etc., not trades in the meaning of sales.
223 Trans. Note: Sūrat Al-An’ām, 55
224 Trans. Note: Sūrat An-Nisā’, 115
225 Trans. Note: In the Arabic version, it said, “As for that which came after the Sahābah…”, but we changed it, due to it not fitting linguistically, and the quote within the original source is as we translated it here.
226 Trans. Note: This was also mentioned by Ibn Taymiyyah in “Majmū’ Al-Fatāwā”, Vol. 2/398 and Vol. 4/590, as well as in “Minhāj As-Sunnah”, Vol. 10/301 and Vol. 15/54. But after some searching, no verification of this specific narration was found. What was found though was that there is another narration from ‘Umar, may Allāh be pleased with him, that has a similar meaning. The narration is as follows: From Al-Mustathill Ibn Husayn Al-Bāriqī, who said, “’Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb addressed us, so he said, ‘I know, by the Lord of the Ka’bah, when the Arabs will be destroyed.’ So a man from the Muslims stood up to him then said, ‘When will they be destroyed, O Amīr Al-Mu’minīn?’ He said, ‘When those who did not deal with jāhiliyyah and did not accompany the Messenger governs their matter.’” This was narrated by the following:
Al-Hākim in “Al-Mustadrak ‘Alā As-Sahīhayn”, Ibn Sa’d in “At-Tabaqāt Al-Kubrā”, Abū Nu’aym in “Hilyat Al-Awliyā’”, Al-Bayhaqī in “Shu’ab Al-Īmān”. An explanation that was given as to why this narration might have been mentioned this way was because in “Al-Jāmi’ Li-Shu’ab Al-Īmān”, this narration was mentioned after a Hadeeth in which the beginning is the same as the beginning of this unfound narration, so there might have been a mix up between the two.
227 With slight abridgement, “Al-Fawā’id” by Ibn Al-Qayyim, pg. 108-111

 

[Eric H]

fschmidt;

In business they say "innovate or die".

All business people will die at some point, but will clever innovation buy them a ticket to paradise?

Islam will remain weak as long as Muslims believe this nonsense against innovation.

I think you have this the wrong way round, business people will suffer from their innovations when they stand before Allah.

Blessings,

Eric

 

[Ahmed.]

In business they say "innovate or die". Islam will remain weak as long as Muslims believe this nonsense against innovation. But I have read the Quran and it is a very good book, so I have confidence that some Muslim will wake up and innovate (in a good way) and make Islam strong again.

Usury, interest, exploitation and extortion might give you huge profits, but end of day it takes you to hell

We'd rather just stick to our HALAL and ethical Islamic business way :Emoji51:

 

['Abdullah]

[MENTION=30692]fschmidt[/MENTION]
Allah says in the Quran:

….This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion....[Quran 5:3]

This mean the religion has been completed for all those who believe in Allah and there is nothing which needs to be added or removed from the religion.

​

Brother @Eric and Brother [MENTION=241]Ahmed[/MENTION] have commented on this as well but let me explain in little more detail by giving an example of Islamic finance system. Interest has been prohibited in OT and in Quran. Muslims don't deal with interest because Quran tells them that who so ever deals with interest has waged a war against Allah and His messenger PBUH. Now a businessman will think that there is no way this law can benefit him after all most of the world works on interest based system.

Our countries and societies are all based on interest based system. Time is money is the basic economic principal.​

Economists can attempt to come up with numerous justifications for the payment of interest but the real test is to study the affects that interest has. It is important to note that when something is prohibited by God, this does not mean that there is absolutely nothing beneficial in the prohibited item or practice. Indeed, one may be able to find something beneficial even in prohibited items. For example, God says in the Quran about alcohol:

They ask you [O Muhammad] concerning wine and gambling. Say: ?In them is great sin, and some benefit for people; but the sin of them is greater than the benefit.[Quran 2:219]

Thus, the essential point is not whether there is anything beneficial in something but whether the harm of something outweighs its benefit. Thus, economists may be able to find a hint of a justification for paying interest but this definitely would not outweigh the harms that interest can be shown to cause. Even if interest is considered some kind of payment to a factor of production, it has some unique characteristics that set it apart from payments to any other factor of production. Due to its unique nature, it leads to some very disturbing results.

First, interest leads to an inequitable distribution of income. This can be seen by taking an example of three people. Suppose there are three people who consume of all of their income in a given year yet one of them starts with $1,000 in savings, a second with $100 and a third with zero. At 10% interest per annum, by the end of the year, the first person will have $1,100, the second $110 and the third person zero in their accounts. If the same scenario follows in the next year, the first person will have $1,210, the second $121 and the third will have zero. Already, one can see how the distribution between them grows every year, even between the one who has some savings of his own. This scenario will be made even worse if the richest person will also to be able to add savings. Suppose he adds one thousand at the end of each year. He will have 1,100 at the end of the first year, he adds $1,000 and continues with his 10% interest and he will have $2,310 at the end of the second year, and so on.

Now it is one thing if this money paid was actually due to some positive factor of production but in reality one cannot make that argument in this case. The money that the people are making via interest may have been squandered, lost or even stolen by the people who borrowed it, but one still has to be pay the interest. It may have been invested in a completely losing project and therefore it actually did not produce anything. But all of that does not matter, it has to be paid regardless of whether that “factor of production” produces anything or not. This is simply one of the unique aspects of money and payments to money. No one can argue that this is just and therefore its results are an inequitable distribution of money.

Furthermore, the distribution of income becomes more and more skewed over time. One can imagine some individuals dealing in millions while others are dealing in hundreds or thousands. The disparity in their interest incomes will indeed be great and growing every year. In other words, as one hears often, it will lead to a situation where the rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting relatively poorer. Note that those in debt, paying interest that grows every year, have not been added to the equation. In their case, as interest continues to grow, more and more of their overall income is consumed by interest, further exacerbating the skewed distribution of income.

Someone could ask as to whether an inequitable distribution of income should be considered a major issue. Besides the psychological effects on the poor, especially given mass media advertising that emphasizes the good life and the need to consume, there are very important effects on the market as a whole. In a market economy, production will be geared towards those who have the money to pay for the output, regardless of how necessary other goods may be for society. If the rich desire, demand and are willing to pay a lot of money for SUVs and gas-guzzling vehicles, those will be produced (regardless of how much conservationists may complain). As the income distribution becomes more and more skewed, more and more resources will be devoted to the demands of the richer classes. Since resources are somewhat “fixed,” this means that less and less will be devoted to the needs of the poorer classes.

Furthermore, the lesser resources devoted to the goods that the poor consume reduces supply and drives up the prices of those goods, further harming the poor people’s overall economic situation. For example, one can find numerous medical clinics catering to the rich (those who can afford such treatments), even if they are far from necessary, such as numerous places for cosmetic surgery and the like. At the same time, one may find it very difficult to find clinics catering to the poor and meeting their basic needs. If they could pay more for those essential services, in a market driven economy, one would definitely find more of those types of clinics, more resources devoted to those needs and a cheaper price in the long-run for what they need. In addition, this skewed distribution also has strong implications for the health of democracy; however, that discussion is beyond the scope of my post and will only make my reply much more longer.

In addition, the burden of interest upon the poor who fall into debt puts them into a situation where they cannot advance socially or economically, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Debt itself is a difficult situation for any individual. However, it is interest payments that make one’s debt a moving target, many times one that an individual simply cannot keep up with. Again, it is a bogus factor of production but it works to allow the rich to get richer while putting a great burden upon those who fall into debt.

Perhaps you are familiar with how much of a debtor society the United States, the richest country in the world, has become. This has afflicted not only the lower classes but many of the middle class as well. Some sorry individuals do not realize that if they pay only the minimum on their credit card bills, for example, they will virtually never clear their balance. But, of course, it is the poorest that are hardest hit. In fact, the system is stacked against them as the poorer an individual is, the worst his credit rating and the higher the interest rate he will be forced to pay. The plight of small-scale farmers forced to borrow due to dropping prices on their output has been well-documented. Many of them have pawned their precious belongings or lost their farms that have been in their families for generations simply due to interest payments that they could not keep up with.
On an international level, the situation is much more devastating and dangerous. There is no question that when looked at from an international perspective, interest kills people. The debt servicing of lesser developed countries today is so great that they must sacrifice essential health and nutritional needs. It is dumbfounding to think that untold numbers of children are dying daily in lesser-developed countries due to the “tool” of modern capitalism: interest. Some African governments are forced to spend more on debt servicing than they spend on health or education.

In this context, the UNDP (1998) predicted that if the external debt of the 20 poorest countries of the world was written off, it could save the lives of 20 million people before the year 2000. In other words, it means that uncancelled debt was responsible for the deaths of 130,000 children a week up until the year 2000. Global capitalism kills more people each year then were killed by Adolf Hitler. IMF and World Bank are to be blamed for deaths of millions due to their refusal to ease the debt burden. Every year since 1981 between 15 and 20 million people died unnecessarily due to debt burden because Third World governments have had to cut back on clean water and health programs to meet their repayments.

Debt, with its increasing amount of interest compounded upon it, is dangerous for any nation because it means loss of sovereignty and control. This aspect, incidentally, is no accident. Lesser developed countries especially their elites and corrupt rulers are not free of guilt when it comes to the issue of the debt that they have accumulated. At the same time, if they did not borrow and get in debt, pressure would definitely be put on them to do so.

The current debt situation, with the major role that interest is playing in it, is potentially very devastating for the world as a whole. In Global Trends 2015, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recognized:

The rising tide of the global economy will create many economic winners, but it will not lift all boats. [It will] spawn conflicts at home and abroad ensuring an ever-wider gap between regional winners and losers than exists today. [Globalization’s] evolution will be rocky, marked by chronic financial volatility and a widening economic divide. Regions, countries and groups feeling left behind will face deepening economic stagnation, political instability and cultural alienation. They will foster political, ethnic, ideological and religious extremism, along with the violence that often accompanies it.

In reality, there are yet other ills related to interest that could be discussed but the above should suffice for the purposes here. As you can see that God has prohibited to use interest many thousand years ago because He knows what you and I can't know with our own intelligence. We need to understand that God knows what we don't and we need to accept that without compromising anything with the religion.

 

[fschmidt]

….This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion....[Quran 5:3]

This mean the religion has been completed for all those who believe in Allah and there is nothing which needs to be added or removed from the religion.

That's not what it means to me. God said "This day", not "For all time". Yes God perfected the religion that day for that day. But as conditions change, needs change.

I am definitely not a modernist who rejects tradition. Change should be slow and be based on real world evidence. To take your example of interest, there is absolutely no evidence that interest is justified, so there is no reason to change this rule. Interest should be prohibited. But now let me give another example. It is clear to me that television should be prohibited. There is no way that this rule could have been included in the Quran because there was no television at that time. So this is an example of how conditions change. The evidence supporting my position is that other religions that are successful at resisting the degeneracy of modern culture prohibit television. And the reasoning for this is clear enough.

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you fschmidt;

It is clear to me that television should be prohibited. There is no way that this rule could have been included in the Quran because there was no television at that time.

Thanks for clarifying, I kind of see where you are coming from. I think television like a knife is a neutral tool. A knife can be used for hundreds of practical and good purposes, but in the hands of a murderer it becomes a weapon. Television can also be used for news, education, religion and other good purposes in line with God's will. And as you say, tv can also be used to promote the bad stuff too.

If we used all the modern inventions in line with God's will, there would be no problems.

In the spirit of praying for justice for all people,

Eric

 

[Ahmed.]

[MENTION=30692]fschmidt[/MENTION]
Allah says in the Quran:

This mean the religion has been completed for all those who believe in Allah and there is nothing which needs to be added or removed from the religion.

​

Brother @Eric and Brother [MENTION=241]Ahmed[/MENTION] have commented on this as well but let me explain in little more detail by giving an example of Islamic finance system. Interest has been prohibited in OT and in Quran. Muslims don't deal with interest because Quran tells them that who so ever deals with interest has waged a war against Allah and His messenger PBUH. Now a businessman will think that there is no way this law can benefit him after all most of the world works on interest based system.

Our countries and societies are all based on interest based system. Time is money is the basic economic principal.​

Economists can attempt to come up with numerous justifications for the payment of interest but the real test is to study the affects that interest has. It is important to note that when something is prohibited by God, this does not mean that there is absolutely nothing beneficial in the prohibited item or practice. Indeed, one may be able to find something beneficial even in prohibited items. For example, God says in the Quran about alcohol:



Thus, the essential point is not whether there is anything beneficial in something but whether the harm of something outweighs its benefit. Thus, economists may be able to find a hint of a justification for paying interest but this definitely would not outweigh the harms that interest can be shown to cause. Even if interest is considered some kind of payment to a factor of production, it has some unique characteristics that set it apart from payments to any other factor of production. Due to its unique nature, it leads to some very disturbing results.

First, interest leads to an inequitable distribution of income. This can be seen by taking an example of three people. Suppose there are three people who consume of all of their income in a given year yet one of them starts with $1,000 in savings, a second with $100 and a third with zero. At 10% interest per annum, by the end of the year, the first person will have $1,100, the second $110 and the third person zero in their accounts. If the same scenario follows in the next year, the first person will have $1,210, the second $121 and the third will have zero. Already, one can see how the distribution between them grows every year, even between the one who has some savings of his own. This scenario will be made even worse if the richest person will also to be able to add savings. Suppose he adds one thousand at the end of each year. He will have 1,100 at the end of the first year, he adds $1,000 and continues with his 10% interest and he will have $2,310 at the end of the second year, and so on.

Now it is one thing if this money paid was actually due to some positive factor of production but in reality one cannot make that argument in this case. The money that the people are making via interest may have been squandered, lost or even stolen by the people who borrowed it, but one still has to be pay the interest. It may have been invested in a completely losing project and therefore it actually did not produce anything. But all of that does not matter, it has to be paid regardless of whether that “factor of production” produces anything or not. This is simply one of the unique aspects of money and payments to money. No one can argue that this is just and therefore its results are an inequitable distribution of money.

Furthermore, the distribution of income becomes more and more skewed over time. One can imagine some individuals dealing in millions while others are dealing in hundreds or thousands. The disparity in their interest incomes will indeed be great and growing every year. In other words, as one hears often, it will lead to a situation where the rich keep getting richer while the poor keep getting relatively poorer. Note that those in debt, paying interest that grows every year, have not been added to the equation. In their case, as interest continues to grow, more and more of their overall income is consumed by interest, further exacerbating the skewed distribution of income.

Someone could ask as to whether an inequitable distribution of income should be considered a major issue. Besides the psychological effects on the poor, especially given mass media advertising that emphasizes the good life and the need to consume, there are very important effects on the market as a whole. In a market economy, production will be geared towards those who have the money to pay for the output, regardless of how necessary other goods may be for society. If the rich desire, demand and are willing to pay a lot of money for SUVs and gas-guzzling vehicles, those will be produced (regardless of how much conservationists may complain). As the income distribution becomes more and more skewed, more and more resources will be devoted to the demands of the richer classes. Since resources are somewhat “fixed,” this means that less and less will be devoted to the needs of the poorer classes.

Furthermore, the lesser resources devoted to the goods that the poor consume reduces supply and drives up the prices of those goods, further harming the poor people’s overall economic situation. For example, one can find numerous medical clinics catering to the rich (those who can afford such treatments), even if they are far from necessary, such as numerous places for cosmetic surgery and the like. At the same time, one may find it very difficult to find clinics catering to the poor and meeting their basic needs. If they could pay more for those essential services, in a market driven economy, one would definitely find more of those types of clinics, more resources devoted to those needs and a cheaper price in the long-run for what they need. In addition, this skewed distribution also has strong implications for the health of democracy; however, that discussion is beyond the scope of my post and will only make my reply much more longer.

In addition, the burden of interest upon the poor who fall into debt puts them into a situation where they cannot advance socially or economically, widening the gap between the rich and the poor. Debt itself is a difficult situation for any individual. However, it is interest payments that make one’s debt a moving target, many times one that an individual simply cannot keep up with. Again, it is a bogus factor of production but it works to allow the rich to get richer while putting a great burden upon those who fall into debt.

Perhaps you are familiar with how much of a debtor society the United States, the richest country in the world, has become. This has afflicted not only the lower classes but many of the middle class as well. Some sorry individuals do not realize that if they pay only the minimum on their credit card bills, for example, they will virtually never clear their balance. But, of course, it is the poorest that are hardest hit. In fact, the system is stacked against them as the poorer an individual is, the worst his credit rating and the higher the interest rate he will be forced to pay. The plight of small-scale farmers forced to borrow due to dropping prices on their output has been well-documented. Many of them have pawned their precious belongings or lost their farms that have been in their families for generations simply due to interest payments that they could not keep up with.
On an international level, the situation is much more devastating and dangerous. There is no question that when looked at from an international perspective, interest kills people. The debt servicing of lesser developed countries today is so great that they must sacrifice essential health and nutritional needs. It is dumbfounding to think that untold numbers of children are dying daily in lesser-developed countries due to the “tool” of modern capitalism: interest. Some African governments are forced to spend more on debt servicing than they spend on health or education.

In this context, the UNDP (1998) predicted that if the external debt of the 20 poorest countries of the world was written off, it could save the lives of 20 million people before the year 2000. In other words, it means that uncancelled debt was responsible for the deaths of 130,000 children a week up until the year 2000. Global capitalism kills more people each year then were killed by Adolf Hitler. IMF and World Bank are to be blamed for deaths of millions due to their refusal to ease the debt burden. Every year since 1981 between 15 and 20 million people died unnecessarily due to debt burden because Third World governments have had to cut back on clean water and health programs to meet their repayments.

Debt, with its increasing amount of interest compounded upon it, is dangerous for any nation because it means loss of sovereignty and control. This aspect, incidentally, is no accident. Lesser developed countries especially their elites and corrupt rulers are not free of guilt when it comes to the issue of the debt that they have accumulated. At the same time, if they did not borrow and get in debt, pressure would definitely be put on them to do so.

The current debt situation, with the major role that interest is playing in it, is potentially very devastating for the world as a whole. In Global Trends 2015, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recognized:



In reality, there are yet other ills related to interest that could be discussed but the above should suffice for the purposes here. As you can see that God has prohibited to use interest many thousand years ago because He knows what you and I can't know with our own intelligence. We need to understand that God knows what we don't and we need to accept that without compromising anything with the religion.

MashAllah this is great reading brother!

It seems like you're an 'Alim. We're blessed to have such a knowledgeable brother like you here!

 

['Abdullah]

That's not what it means to me. God said "This day", not "For all time". Yes God perfected the religion that day for that day. But as conditions change, needs change.

I am definitely not a modernist who rejects tradition. Change should be slow and be based on real world evidence. To take your example of interest, there is absolutely no evidence that interest is justified, so there is no reason to change this rule. Interest should be prohibited. But now let me give another example. It is clear to me that television should be prohibited. There is no way that this rule could have been included in the Quran because there was no television at that time. So this is an example of how conditions change. The evidence supporting my position is that other religions that are successful at resisting the degeneracy of modern culture prohibit television. And the reasoning for this is clear enough.

@fschmidt

"This day I have perfect your religion for you..."mean that 1400 years ago the religion was completed from entire humanity. It does not mean that the religion was only completed for that time and not for the time to come.

Second, You seems to think that Islamic law is 100% based on Quran. That's not true because Islamic law is based on four sources:

1. Holy Quran
2. Sunnah / Hadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet PBUH
3. Ijma (consensus of Opinion)
4. Qiyas (analogy)

All of these sources are interlinked and organized while making Islamic laws. Quran and Sunnah are collectively called Primary sources while the other two are called secondary sources as they depend on the primary sources.

Muslims often make use of Ijma to deal with issues of our age and time. For example, during prayer if someone's phone rings what should we do? This was the issue which Prophet Muhammad PBUH and companions of Prophet Muhammad PBUH had not faced. Muslim scholars agree that we should try to switch off our cell phones or put them on silent before the start of prayer. Imam shall remind people to switch off the cell phone before congregational prayer. If someone forget to switch it off and phone rings during prayer, then the person is allowed to take out his/her cell phone while praying and switch it off so others can concentrate on prayer.

As for as your example of TV is concerned, we can expand that example to use of internet, use of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube etc. All Muslims scholars agree that use of modern technology is permissible within Islam as long as it is being used for good such as for learning and for promoting Islam. I am not sure who told you that TV is banned in Islam or use of social media is banned in Islam? Islam is a religion which puts great emphasis on social interaction but within limits and for the right reasons.

If you look at the prayer Muslims read, the congregational prayer, the hadith says:

… that Salah in congregation is better than Salah read individually 27 times. One narration says 25 times.

It means so many fold more.

The reason is that interaction. You meet the people. You smile at them. The physical meeting is far more important than anything else. And the social networking if we were to take internet out of it, and make it physical then Islam has promoted it from the very beginning.

You have for example the Jumuah (Friday Prayer) that is compulsory upon us as Muslims. We need to know that that is a gathering. The Eid is a gathering. It is something important. To go out to visit the sick is highly rewarding.

Today you can just send a WhatsApp message and say you know what, I heard you are unwell. I’m praying for you. And so on. And do you know that you will get a similar reward? If the person is far away, you would have visited them had they been nearer. But because of your busy schedule or whatever else it is, you were only able to message them so you have a beautiful reward. Reward is based on your intention and Allah has made is easy for us to earn this reward in this age of internet and social media.

Allah SWT has made it so easy for us to earn a huge reward just by the touch of a button if we use it in the right way as prescribed in Islam. However, if we use same social media with different intentions and to fulfill our desires then we may earn the wrath of the Almighty by the touch of the same button. Because in the same way that I can press just some knob on my phone or a little, perhaps a part of my touch screen as it is today and I can reach out to hundreds or millions of people with the correct message. I can do the same with the bad message.

Anyways can you name a single modern day issue, for which you think Islam has no solution? Islam has solution to every problem we face, if we are unaware of Islamic solution then that's because of our ignorance.

I also want to go back and discuss what did you learn by my example of interest based finance system. You seem to agree that interest shall be prohibited. But do you just agree or do you also try to practice this? If you don't practice this then know that every time you see a homeless person in streets, you may have played a part in making that person homeless. Islam is not just about belief, it is about faith and actions. Our actions have no meanings without faith and faith is useless without actions.

 

['Abdullah]

[MENTION=241]Ahmed[/MENTION] I am just a student of knowledge and I ask you and all others to pray that Allah increase me in the knowledge which can be beneficial for me in this world and Hereafter. Ameen!